2009 Review in Photos

Dad, January 1, 2009. 1940-2009

2009...Wow. This has probably been the most eventful year of my life. It's been a year of trial, a year of great love, a year of roller derby, a year of stress and pain and a year of scarcity and abundance. 2009 was a year of crossing into a new age, and a year of innumerable tests and questions. Was it a hard year? Absolutely. Was it a good year? Certainly. Most of all, it was an enlightening year: a year of clarity.

In January, my father died. Although Dad's health had been slipping for a few years, his death seemed sudden and came as a shock. Suzanne, Jay, kids and I drove down to Tulsa for his funeral service, which was somewhat somber, somewhat tranquil and wholly cathartic. I miss Dad especially now, during the holidays...this time last year, we were hanging out together.


Me, with the brightest hair ever, May 16 at the derby track, TGT vs. VIP.

What else happened this year? I really began to play Roller Derby much more. I was in 8 games, and spent countless hours learning new techniques and working on my endurance, skill and agility. I feel like I've come a long way, although I still have a long way to go to get where I want to be in the sport. It's the first team sport I've ever played, and something that I feel has been a rite of passage, because I was forced to push myself into a new form, a new attitude about myself and my ability. I am thankful for it. And, most importantly, I've got to spend time with a great group of strong, aggressive, happy and lovely angry derby ladies.


David, at the May 16 Derby after party at Mikey Finnz.

This year I met David, whom I love more than anything. His love is the thing I've wanted most in my entire life, and it's great. We met in May and fell in love fast. I can't wait to see where 2010 will take us; for sure it will be fun!


At Frankie's Tiki Lounge, with the TV Dinner birthday cupcakes Rusty (in background) made me.

Also, I turned 30 this year. Oof! This birthday came at me full-speed. I can't believe my 20s are over! They were so fun, and so chaotic. In some sense, I'm relieved that decade in my life is now lived. I am hoping for a new decade a little less rocky, a little less loud, and this decade I want to use to fully expand and explore my art and creative side. Hopefully a little less moving and little better handle on my bills will allow me to paint and play some music.

Those were the major events in my life this year. In addition, I:

Got robbed (twice! one out of my bank account, and once out of the back of my car)
Got what was robbed returned to me (money out of my account, skates out of my car)
Sprained my knee
Got two root canals and 2 crowns
Got swindled by a car repair shop, then got practically free service from an honest mechanic
Got my first car ticket
Moved into a new house
Took my first trip to Phoenix and Arizona
Finally got to drive a Dodge Challenger
Taught Henry to bark when I say "Speak!"
Got a pay cut
Lost my magazine, Casino Connection
Mom, Ariana, Angel, Mikkel, Troy and Robert visited me
Bought the first dress I've gotten since I was 16
Made a mask of my Dog
Learned how to make marshmallows
And witnessed the opening of the largest private construction problem to date in the history of the country

So, here are some pictures from the year!


Henry realizes how much he loves hiking, at Red Rock


Lisette shows Justin how to press a tamale casing at our Tamale Party


Max turns 7


Allison, Jorge, Henry, Morgan and I hike Calico Tank at Red Rock


Henry looking Dapper in his new red shirt


The day I ironed my name on to the back of my Notorious VIP shirt for our February game


Me and Hippy Jorge at the Kenny's 70's Party


Pearly Gates, Bruce Killis, Skid and Devil's AdvoKate at Down & Derby at the Beauty Bar


Leah comes to visit!


The Welcome to Las Vegas sign, turned off for 60 minutes during Earth Hour


Mikkel, Troy & Robert and Jorge's friend Saul come to visit us


Meatloaf and Mashed Potato cupcakes for Justin's birthday


Morbid Mangler and Nikki Nuke 'Em at Down and Derby at the Beauty Bar


Bruce Killis with Sahara sign in background


David and me at Pearly's "Decade" birthday party at The Office Bar.


David races his Challenger on the Strip at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway


Bruce and Shirley at The Downtown Cocktail Lounge, Memorial Day weekend for Allison's promotion party.


Henry turns 1 on July 7.




David and I make a road trip to Phoenix & Sedona


I almost get sprayed by a skunk taking this picture on our trip to Phoenix


Vinessa stands in her new house before they remodel the rooms in Oklahoma


Don't Tell Mama, a piano bar on Fremont Street




Top: Quad Zilla; Middle: Seth Green; Bottom: Shock & Me pose with an Imperial Guard at the Robot Chicken Star Wars DVD Release Tour at Crystal Palace. Seth Green laughed at my derby name! (top and middle photos courtesy of radiantphotography.com


Old Vegas Neon on Fremont Street


New wheels, new toe guards, new laces and freshly-painted racing stripes! At the practice track, West Flamingo Park










David' 29th birthday weekend extravaganza at Hofbrauhaus and Dino's






Beer vs. Liquor Scrimmage, September 2009...photos courtesy of Radiant Photography.


Flowers from Allison on my 30th birthday


David roasting a hot dog on our camping trip at Atlatl Rock at Valley of Fire.





My birthday party at Serendipity3 and Frankie's Tiki Lounge


My roller derby team photo...photos courtesy of Radiant Photography.


Press conference with Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn at the Encore




Halloween party at Kenny Manor












CityCenter opens December 2009


View of Vegas from Aria





December Roller Derby game versus CCAD...photos courtesy of Radiant Photography.



Ariana visits from Boston








Christmas

Albums of the Decade

Holy Hoo I can't believe it's the last day of 2009, of the decade. This decade is OVER? Man, I just learned how to use TiVo, too. What other fantastical inventions came out during the 2000s...lessee...MySpace, iPods and Segways. What about those crazy Roombas, you ask? Well, I have a dog who likes floor food. That's good enough.

But what about the music? David and I were just going discussing how some youngsters he knows were referring to Nirvana as 'Classic Rock'. Really? Why don't you just save me the trouble of the rest of my life and bury me now, I'm old enough. Jesus. H. Christ. But while the 90s were great for bands, how do we rate THIS decade?

It's hard. And if we were to pick individual songs, I'd be here for ever and ever. Instead I'm just going to list a few albums that I think are great! Without any further ado, and no reason behind my choices other than a smug sense of self-righteousness, here goes:


The Arcade Fire, Funeral (2004)
Good to listen to when you're looking back over your life or need impetus to change it.



Beck, Sea Change (2002)
Good to listen to on cloudy days when you're sad and nostalgic.



Beck, Modern Guilt (2008)
Good to listen to when you feel listless, unimportant or feel like you've failed.



Bjork, Vespertine (2001)
Good to listen to when you need some creative balm. Reminds me what would happen if it snowed inside the sea.



Black Keys, Attack and Release (2008)
Good for playing pool and drinking in bars. Or sex. Sex, too.



Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (2007)
Good music for cuddling and lying around with no clothes on.



Bonnie 'Prince' Billy & Matt Sweeney, Superwolf (2005)
Good music for the aftermath of murder, so I believe.



Broken Social Scene, You Forgot It In People (2003)
Good to listen to while drawing or painting.



Calexico, A Feast of Wire (2003)
Good for listening to while driving through the country at night, esp. on a dirt or gravel road.



The Cinematic Orchestra, Every Day (2002)
Great for listening to at night, while drinking wine, or walking through the rain.



Dan Auerbach, Keep It Hid (2009)
Good for listening to in dive bars, playing pool and drinking cheap beer.



Eagles of Death Metal, Peace Love Death Metal (2004)
Good for: ROCKING OUT! Great live band! See them live. Do it! And take this CD on a road trip with you, you won't regret it!



Elbow, Cast of Thousands (2004 in the US)
Good for listening when you feel betrayed and or alone, and super dramatic. Esp. "Fugitive Motel".



Explosions in the Sky, The Earth is Not a Cold, Dead Place (2003)
Good for listening to at night to relax, and/or while taking a bath. Also good for playing late at night in the car.



The Faint, Wet From Birth (2004)
Good dance music, or good if you're feeling superior



Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots (2002)
Good for rash decisions, or art making.



Flaming Lips, Embryonic (2009)
Good for anything. This album is seriously amazing, maybe my favorite of the decade!



Fleet Foxes, Self Titled EP, (2008)
Good for winter listening.



Ghostland Observatory, delete.delete.i.eat.meat. (2005)
Great for listening to on headphones while walking through crowds of people on the street at night.



Gorillaz, Demon Days (2005)
Good for making changes in your life and accepting things, RE: Title Track Song!



Grandaddy, Sophtware Slump (2000)
Good for pondering your life in a post-modern world. Also, for being really, really lonely.



Grizzly Bear, Veckatimest (2009)
Great for listening to in the middle of nowhere in winter, day or night. Esp: Two Weeks, probably one of the catchiest songs of the decade.



Iron & Wine, The Shepherd's Dog (2007)
Good for getting job promotions, and for pining for life in a small town.



Jim White, Drill a Hole in That Substrate and Tell Me What You See (2004)
Good for solitary highway drives and walks in the fall leaves



Kanye West, Graduation (2007)
I know how much everyone wants to hate Kanye, but, crappy personality aside, it's still a good album. It's interesting and awesome while driving through the night lights of Las Vegas.



Kings of Leon, Only By the Night (2008)
Good for falling in love and nostalgia



The Knife, Deep Cuts (2006 in US)
Good for obsessive, compulsive repetitive listening, and painting canvases.



M83, Before the Dawn Heals Us (2005)
Good for listening to if you need inspiration for a novel, movie or comic book. Imaginative, epic, sweeping, amazing.



Madrugada, Grit (2002)
Good for wallowing in self-pity and feeling hopelessly romantic



Manu Chao, La Radiolina (2007)
Perfect for singing along and feeling maniacally happy and bouncy.



MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (2007)
Good for pulling yourself out of modern life and reconsidering your actions with a "Lord of the Flies" action plan. If that makes sense.



Minus the Bear, Menus El Oso (2005)
Good for considering love and life in a post-war apocalyptic future where humans are mannequins and alcohol doesn't make you drunk, just tired.



Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004)
Great for transplanting yourself to new towns via road trips. I listened to this over and over on my trip from Tulsa to Boston.



My Morning Jacket, Z (2005)
Good for reconsidering what exactly country music is, and incredible when listened to live in the Boston Symphony, in Accompaniment with the Boston Pops.



The National, Boxer (2007)
Good for walking alone through big city streets, and dreaming of love, and December.



Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (2006)
Good for hiking through mountains in the desert.



Okkervil River, The Stage Names (2007)
Good when you need to break your life down into a series of one-act plays



Peaches, Fatherf***er (2003)
Good for pissing off your ex-boyfriend. And looking around a mid-western college bar to see that every female in the bar seems to know every word to every song of this album. And, I could only imagine, sex with strangers in European dance clubs.



PJ Harvey, Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000)
Good for...simply everything. Incredible album.



The Presets, Apocalypso (2008)
Good for rollerskating!



Queens of the Stone Age, Songs for the Deaf (2002) & Era Vulgaris (2007)
Good for desert road trips at night, excellent live.



Radiohead, Kid A (2000) and Hail to the Thief (2003)
Great for drawing, driving through snow, and viewing your life in stop-motion.



The Shins, Wincing the Night Away (2007)
Good for getting left behind. And post-breakup solace.



Super Furry Animals, Rings Around the World (2001)
Good for listening to in trolley cars and while working on the computer. Or at pool deck bars with lots of palm trees.



TV on the Radio, Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes (2004)
Good for listening to on the subway, and walking fast through crowds in the street.



The Walkmen, Bows + Arrows (2004)
Good for being frustrated, misunderstood.



Ween, White Pepper (2000)
Good for everything. Preferably mellow days alone at your house.



Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fever to Tell (2003)
Good for being super angry and destructive.


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Currently listening to Embryonic by The Flaming Lips, which might be my favorite album of the decade, coming in at the 11th hour!

Favorite Video of the Week, Vol. 1, No.14

Man, I need to be more like monkeys.

Vdara Ribbon Cutting: CityCenter Begins to Open

Nancy Rubins' "Big Edge", a large art installment at Harmon Circle in CityCenter.

The country's single largest private construction project in history, CityCenter, coming in at about $8,500,000,000 dollars, is opening in stages over the next couple of weeks. Despite setbacks, a recession, and many funny stories I've heard about the project's faults, it's finally opening, in all its cold, modern, stark beauty and grandeur.

Today was the ribbon cutting for Vdara, a non-gaming hotel/resort with a spa, bar and a restaurant. Here are some photos.


Ribbon Cutting Ceremony


Big Scissors


Jim Murren, Chairman and CEO of MGM Mirage, cuts the ribbon


Bobby Baldwin, Chief Design and Construction Officer President and CEO CityCenter Group


Jim Murren Speaks


Room at Vdara


Another Room at Vdara


View of Las Vegas from the room at Vdara


Second view from Vdara




Peter Wegner's light and wall art, entitled Day for Night, Night for Day2009, in the Lobby of Vdara.



Frank Stella's Damascus Gate Variation I, at the Front Reception at Vdara



Spa at Vdara







Silk Road, a restaurant at Vdara, designed by Karim Rashid


Caitlin takes a drink of a strawberry smoothie, a tasty treat offered at the Vdara Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.


Another photo of the mesmerizing "Big Edge" installation by Nancy Rubins.



Unknown sculpture, a nice blobby, futuristic, round contrast to the stark straight edges of the building.



CityCenter.

PS: I have been obsessed with the Frank Stella piece ever since I saw it. It is so dramatic and graphic and intense when you see it in person. I think I might have to make regular visits to the Vdara just to gaze upon it.

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Currently listening to: Verve Jazz Masters 30, Lester Young

Favorite Video of the Week, Vol. 1, No.13

This is probably the contender for best video of the year, or decade. I LOVE!

Favorite Video of the Week, Vol. 1, No. 12

WARNING: Video NSFW. Contains sex & pooping. But is totally awesome in all its 8-bit glory.

So, this is coming a few days late, but I've been crazy busy lately, so I haven't been posting as much as usual. Doesn't look like it's going to slow down at all before Christmas, either. Ugh.

Today me & the other Roller Girls showed up at the Las Vegas Neon Graveyard for our league photo shoot. I am totally excited to see these photos!

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Currently listening to Embryonic by the Flaming Lips.

Favorite Video of the Week, Vol. 1, No.10 & 11

Click here to see the video. What an awesome video! A little NSFW because there's tons of nudity. However, the nudity is all very innocent and vibrant, shameless and natural. Wayne Coyne gets naked too!

Another note, this album is my favorite OF THE YEAR and maybe even OF ALL TIME. I'm not a music reviewer by any means, but I will say that this is unlike anything else I've ever listened too, and reminds me of my childhood in this bizarre way. I love it and have been listening to it constantly.



Click this: CollegeHumor to watch Seth MacFarlane's Secret, also amazing.

MG, it's Friday! And I can't tell you how happy I am today. Woke up in the best of moods, and am determined to stay that way all day. David is coming over tonight, and I am very excited to see him. Tomorrow, I have a roller derby game at 8. Good weekend up ahead!

Happy Friday the 13th!

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Currently listening to Embryonic by The Flaming Lips

Halloween Weekend 09

Henry & Me, Video Blog #1 from Sarah Nichols on Vimeo.

Henry Halloween Mask

Fake Henry, Real Henry

Happy Halloween! So, for this year's mask, I decided to make a Henry Head. I used cardboard, tape, newspaper, balloons, gesso, paint and construction paper. I didn't make a step-by-step instructional, but you can see photos of my progress here:


Here's me building the form for the head from balloons and a beer box.


Skip ahead a few steps to after the first time I paper mached it, with the help of David and Allison.



Now I've taped on the giant cardboard ears.




Here it is after I've paper mached the ears to the head.


Here's another picture of the Final Product, featuring Rainbow Brite.

Finally, here are links to masks from years past....
2008 Rosie the Robot from The Jetsons Mask
2007 Donkey Head Mask


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Currently listening to Hail to the Thief, by Radiohead

Favorite Video of the Week, Vol. 1, No.10

AS ONE from makoto yabuki on Vimeo.

So, this week's video comes from Drawn yet again. I think at least 6 of the 10 videos I've posted come from there. They have excellent content.

I love Yabuki's videos. They're very architectural and yet very organic. Also, the music is great. Check out his Vimeo page for more...

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Currently listening to The Sounds of The Sounds of Science by Yo La Tengo